One of The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim's biggest strengths lies in its modding capabilities. Through mods, the entire game can be revamped and changed in multiple ways according to what players want to achieve. It is one of the most influential factors for the game's long-lasting relevance in the gaming community.
With Skyblivion and Skywind on the way, it's hard not to be excited for the future of The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim's modding community. However, it is important not to overlook mods that are currently available, and equally ambitious. For example, only a few mods have the same level of aspiration that the total conversion mod called Enderal has.
Enderal's Take on Skyrim's Engine
Enderal: The Shards of Order is a Skyrim total conversion mod, however, its title as a mod does not do it justice. Enderal features an expansive new map that is about half the size of Skyrim's, but just as dense in the number of things there are to do. The mod was created by SureAI, who have also made 3 other mods for previous Elder Scrolls games. Enderal is technically the fourth installment to this series of mods, featuring the same world of Vyn, but taking place on the continent of Enderal. In that regard, it is very similar to The Elder Scrolls franchise. However, Enderal is big enough to be its own stand-alone game.
Many of Skyrim's systems have been reworked to not only fit the setting but also enhance the feeling of progression. For example, many of Skyrim's schools of magic have received complete overhauls in how they function. Not only are there spells unique to Enderal, but players are rewarded with special skills that they can only use if they have invested enough of their perk points into their favored perk tree. Classes have also been added, with players being able to unlock specific class traits by choosing to invest a certain amount of points in two or more skill trees. For example, a player who invests in the infiltrator and phasmalist skill line will receive the ghost blade class and its respective buffs.
Because it takes place in a different universe, none of the lore from The Elder Scrolls franchise is used for Enderal. It features its own world with its own history, as well as a main quest line that puts the whole world at stake. In many ways, its main story is very similar to Skyrim. They both feature an entity bent on resetting a cycle, with the player being the one chosen to stop that from happening. Unlike Skyrim however, Enderal pursues a much more existential route when it comes to its main quest. Enderal isn't as much of a story about stopping a big bad as much as it is about the human condition. The ending might even have the player asking themselves what drives humans to do good and bad, and if there is anything that can be done to stop that.
Enderal is different from other total conversion mods for Skyrim in that it aims to be its own game while also continuing the narrative presented by its previous installments. It may be a mod for Skyrim, but it does beg the question of what the line between a mod and a standalone game actually is. It even has its own Steam page, where players can download Enderal as long as they have the respective version of Skyrim.
Enderal easily cements itself as one of the best mods for Skyrim to date. Its ambition could serve as inspiration for many years to come for the modding community as a whole, and it does offer a lot for players who want new content ahead of The Elder Scrolls 6. It also makes the case for how modders can bring the dreams of the community to fruition with enough time and effort.
The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim is available now for PC, PS4, PS5, Nintendo Switch, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
